November 20, 2005

Sunday God-blogging

An exhibition celebrating the life of Charles Darwin has failed to find a corporate sponsor because American companies are anxious not to take sides in the heated debate between scientists and fundamentalist Christians over the theory of evolution.

The entire $3 million (￡1.7 million) cost of Darwin, which opened at the American Museum of Natural History in New York yesterday, is instead being borne by wealthy individuals and private charitable donations.

… While the Darwin exhibition has been unable to find a business backer - unlike previous exhibitions at the museum - the Creationist Museum near Cincinatti, Ohio, which takes literally the Bible’s account of creation, has recently raised $7 million in donations.

The outbreak of corporate cold feet has shocked New York’s intellectuals. “It is a disgrace that large companies should shy away from such an important scientific exhibition,” said a trustee of another prominent museum in the city, who was told of the exhibition’s funding problem by a trustee of the AMNH.

… Niles Eldredge, the exhibition’s curator, confirmed that the exhibition was intended to redress the balance in the battle between scientists and creationist Christians being fought across the country.

“This is for the schoolchildren of America,” he said. “This is the evidence of evolution.”

OK, so what about all the evidence you’ll find in the glorious Creationist Museum, which “will be a wonderful alternative to the evolutionary natural history museums that are turning countless minds against the gospel of Christ and the authority of the Scripture” when it opens in 2007. Let’s take part of the online walk-through:

Explore the wonders of creation. The imprint of the Creator is all around us. And the Bible’s clear—heaven and earth in six 24-hour days, earth before sun, birds before lizards …

… Everywhere you turn, science confirms the biblical account! As you explore, children can scurry off into the section ‘just for kids,’ where they interact with displays of exotic living animals and learn more about the Master Designer.